i
Penetrate
Pre-liquified, so it flows into the pocket instead of beading at the opening. That is the whole reason the blend is warmed and thinned before it reaches you.
The science
It doesn't kill them.It carries them out.
Every rinse on the shelf cleans by killing, and it cannot tell your good bacteria from the bad. This one does not kill anything. Here is exactly how that works, and what the evidence does and does not show.
6
published trials
0
bacteria killed
4mm
below the gumline
7 min
twice a week
Where it starts
Not on the tooth. Four millimetres under the gum.
Gum disease does not begin on the surface you can see. It begins in the narrow margin where the gum meets the tooth, in a pocket that is roughly four millimetres deep in a healthy mouth and deeper in one that is not.
- iA brush is designed for the flat face of the tooth. Its bristles stop where the gum begins.
- iiFloss travels between two teeth. It does not travel down into the margin.
- iiiA rinse is mostly water. It beads at the opening and sheets away over the top.
The seam where gum meets tooth. Undisturbed most of your life.
The mechanism
Penetrate · Bind · Extract.
Oil and water do not mix. That single fact is why this works where a rinse cannot, and it has been described in the literature since 2011.
ii
Bind
The harmful bacteria live in a sticky film. The film is fat-soluble. It grips the oil in preference to the tooth, the way flour grips oily fingers.
iii
Extract
You spit. The film leaves inside the oil. Nothing was killed, so your good bacteria stay exactly where they were.
Asokan et al. described this mechanism in vitro in 2011. It is not new and it is not ours.
The full citationThe flour test
Try it on your own hands. You already know how it ends.
Dust your fingers with flour and hold them under the tap. Now do it again with a drop of oil first. This is the same physics, four millimetres under your gum.
Water
It runs straight past.
Water and the film do not want each other. The stream goes over the top and the powder is still there when you look. Adding an antiseptic to that water changes what it kills. It does not change where it reaches.
Oil
It picks the film up and leaves with it.
The particles cling to the oil in preference to the surface. Nothing was killed. It was carried out. That is the entire claim, and it is the only one we make.
The evidence
Six trials. One conclusion.
- 2023 Jong, Ooi & Teoh Systematic review and meta-analysis Oil pulling compared against chlorhexidine and other rinses across pooled trials. Comparable reduction in plaque and gingivitis scores, without the side effects reported for chlorhexidine.
- 2020 Bescos et al. Scientific Reports What a chlorhexidine rinse does to the oral microbiome over seven days. Significant shift in bacterial diversity, including species associated with normal function.
- 2011 Asokan et al. In vitro mechanism study How oil pulling physically acts on the bacterial film. Emulsification and adhesion described as the working mechanism. Not antimicrobial action.
- 2009 Asokan et al. Randomised, controlled, triple-blind Effect on plaque-induced gingivitis over two weeks. Statistically significant reduction in gingival index scores against the control.
- 2008 Asokan et al. Randomised, controlled, triple-blind Streptococcus mutans counts in plaque and saliva. Reduction in counts measurable from two weeks of daily use.
- 2011 Asokan et al. Randomised controlled pilot Halitosis and the organisms that cause it. Reduction in both self-reported and measured markers against the control group.
We did not run any of these. That is rather the point.
Shop the Halo LineWhat is in it
Sixteen oils. No blend you cannot read.
No proprietary blend, no mystery fragrance. Six of the sixteen are below, and every one is named on the bottle.
Coconut MCT
The carrier
Fractionated so it stays liquid at room temperature and flows rather than sets.
Sesame
The traditional base
The oil used in the original practice, and the one most of the trials tested.
Manuka
Tested strongest
In Takarada's 2004 comparison of essential oils against oral pathogens, it came out ahead.
Sea buckthorn
The soother
Cold-pressed from the fruit, not the seed. Included for comfort, not for cleaning.
Clove
The old remedy
Dentists have reached for eugenol for a century and a half. It is still in the cabinet.
Peppermint
The reason you finish it
Seven minutes is a long time to hold something unpleasant. This is why you don't.
The honest part
What this does, and what it will never do.
Most brands only publish the left-hand column. We would rather you found the limits here than discovered them yourself in eight weeks.
We do not claim
Things it cannot do
- Regrow gum tissueReceded gum does not come back. No rinse, oil or paste can do that, and any brand telling you otherwise is selling you something.
- Reverse a cavityOnce enamel has cavitated, it needs a dentist. Hydroxyapatite can remineralise early surface loss. It cannot fill a hole.
- Treat periodontal diseaseIf you have been diagnosed, this is not a substitute for treatment. It is something you do alongside it, with your dentist's knowledge.
- Replace brushing or flossThis reaches where they cannot. It does not do what they already do well.
The evidence supports
Things it does
- Reduce plaque and gingivitis scoresMeasured against controls in randomised trials.
- Lower the bacteria linked to decay and bad breathMeasured in plaque and saliva counts.
- Leave your good bacteria aloneBecause nothing is being killed.
- Feel comfortable enough to keep doingNo sting, no burn, nothing to rinse off.
If you have been diagnosed with periodontal disease, tell your dentist you are using this. It is not a replacement for treatment and we will never suggest it is.
Questions we get askedReferences
The research, in full.
Every study we have cited on this page, linked to the source. None of them are ours.
- Jong FJX, Ooi DJ, Teoh SL. The effect of oil pulling in comparison with chlorhexidine and other mouthwash interventions in promoting oral health: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Dental Hygiene, 2023.
- Bescos R, et al. Effects of chlorhexidine mouthwash on the oral microbiome. Scientific Reports, 2020.
- Asokan S, et al. Effect of oil pulling on Streptococcus mutans count in plaque and saliva: a randomized, controlled, triple-blind study. J Indian Soc Pedod Prev Dent, 2008.
- Asokan S, et al. Effect of oil pulling on plaque induced gingivitis: a randomized, controlled, triple-blind study. Indian Journal of Dental Research, 2009.
- Asokan S, et al. Effect of oil pulling on halitosis and microorganisms causing halitosis: a randomized controlled pilot trial. J Indian Soc Pedod Prev Dent, 2011.
- Asokan S, et al. Mechanism of oil-pulling therapy: an in vitro study. Indian Journal of Dental Research, 2011.
- Peedikayil FC, Sreenivasan P, Narayanan A. Effect of coconut oil in plaque related gingivitis: a preliminary report. Nigerian Medical Journal, 2015.
- Takarada K, et al. A comparison of the antibacterial efficacies of essential oils against oral pathogens. Oral Microbiology and Immunology, 2004.
Now you know as much as we do. Give it a fair month.
Use it consistently for thirty days. If nothing has changed, send us the photos and the log and we refund you in full, and you keep the product.
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